The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

On the other side of the wall, Fang Tiesheng was pacing anxiously, "Da Niu, say something... how is it...?"

Da Niu opened his mouth wide, trying to speak but found he couldn't. His mouth was wide open, and snot and tears streamed down his face, which was covered in yellow mud.

Dr. Chen gently patted Da Niu's back to help him catch his breath. "Extreme joy or sorrow is most damaging to the spirit. Don't speak yet. Once you're calm, you'll be able to speak naturally."

Hearing Fang Tiesheng's voice, Xinghua relaxed and let out a long breath. Tears welled up in her eyes and fell in large drops: "Uncle Fang, Da Niu is fine. He's too happy to speak and needs to calm down."

Uncle Fang was known throughout the village as being utterly weak and frail. If something like that happened in the village, or even if it didn't, just being confined and sealed off would probably make Uncle Fang the first to collapse...

Hearing Uncle Fang's voice now, though flustered, it was still full of energy, and he was perfectly fine. That terrible guess, those bad possibilities, didn't happen. That's wonderful.

On both sides of the separation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But new problems have arisen.

How are they supposed to get back? These people, who are hungry, injured, and can barely stand, how are they supposed to get back safely from here?

After holding his breath for a while, Da Niu finally felt a little better, and with a sudden "ga" from his throat, a hoarse sound came out.

He was startled, and instantly realized that he could speak.

Just as I was about to excitedly raise my voice to call out "Dad," Dr. Chen quickly pressed down on my back again: "Stop howling, you can't get any more excited."

Da Niu then realized the burning pain in his back. He forcefully suppressed his excitement, took a long breath, and, in a trembling voice, called out:

"father……"

Fang Tiesheng, on the other side of the wall, heard the hoarse and weak voice, but it was unmistakably his own son's voice. He could no longer hold back his tears.

His son.

My son, who used to be as strong as a calf, now has such a weak voice. How much hardship and suffering he must have endured outside...

Zhao Hu tightened his grip on the thermos. "Dr. Chen, are you still able to walk? This is such a blocked-off area, you can't even crawl through it. You'll have to take a detour. If you can't hold on, just wait here. I'll go around and bring you some food..."

This natural barrier, once the village's only protection, has now become a major problem.

In particular, Zhao Hu has been continuously reinforcing the wall recently, and along the entire mudslide path on the side closer to the village, he has also dug many traps.

If it weren't for his help, if he hadn't come over tonight...

These three might not have starved to death outside, but instead ended up in his hands...

Dr. Chen looked back at Xinghua and Da Niu, their three chapped lips pressed tightly together.

Before he could ask, the two said in unison, "I can walk."

"Then let's go."

Dr. Chen used tree branches for support, and the three of them helped each other to their feet.

"Tiger, we can walk."

"You guys follow the mudslide and go around it, I'll go with you." Zhao Hu picked up a thermos and turned on his flashlight.

"I'll go too!" Fang Tiesheng wiped away his tears.

"Don't make things worse." Zhao Hu said with a look of disgust. "Hurry back and help your aunt cook something to eat. It would be best if you could look for some medicine in the cellar."

Fang Tiesheng choked, realizing that he would indeed be a burden if he followed, so he stopped arguing and just stuffed his lighter into Zhao Hu's pocket. After thinking for a moment, he took off his work clothes and cotton-padded coat and stuffed them into Zhao Hu's arms.

A gust of wind blew by, and Fang Tiesheng shivered.

Zhao Hu didn't refuse, but urged him to go back quickly with his eyes. He then turned his back and walked up the mud wall towards the mountain.

There was a thick mud wall on both sides, winding up the mountain one after the other.

Xinghua, Da Niu, and Doctor Chen walked unsteadily. The moonlight gradually weakened, and there were many broken stones and logs on the road. They also had to be careful not to let Da Niu's wound reopen, so they walked very slowly.

Zhao Hu, wrapped in several layers of clothing and holding a thermos, was sweating profusely from his forehead and soon left the other three behind.

He paused for a moment, listening intently to the sounds coming from the other side.

His steps were unsteady and heavy.

"Dr. Chen, are you still there?" he called out.

Dr. Chen's throat was dry, and he managed a weak cough. The three of them were almost out of breath, clinging to life as long as they could, determined to die at home.

Zhao Hu made up his mind and quickened his pace. "Just keep going up this way. If you can't walk anymore, rest and wait for me."

Without waiting for a response from the other side, he buried his head and hurried upwards.

After walking for about an hour, the footsteps had long since disappeared from his ears. The mud and gravel under his feet were mixed together, making them soft and slippery. He was almost at the place where he had set the trap earlier.

He turned on his flashlight to check the road, discreetly avoiding pitfalls and hidden obstacles as he made his way uphill.

Finding a relatively flat patch of mud, Zhao Hu stopped and tilted his head to estimate the height, figuring he should be able to climb over it.

He freed one hand and tried to pry open the edge. The mountain was high and the dew was heavy. The mud was mushy and sticky, and it would crumble as soon as he grabbed it. There were also thorny branches on the cloth lying horizontally on top, making it impossible to step on or hold on to.

He slipped down twice, and the clothes in his arms got muddy. He sighed heavily, didn't linger, and turned to continue looking for a way up.

Further up, the protruding mud walls gradually lowered, eventually sinking into the ground to become a mud river, with gravel and dried animal carcasses interspersed on both sides.

Zhao Hu broke off a tree branch, carefully placed his feet where he could step, and finally managed to cross it with great difficulty.

The canvas shoes on his feet were no longer recognizable as their original color, covered in mud and heavy.

He looked down and saw that the moon had hidden behind the clouds, and the area below was pitch black.

He unscrewed the thermos, poured himself a sip of hot water to moisten his throat, and continued on his way.

The downhill path was more difficult than the uphill one. He dared not walk fast for fear of slipping and kicking up falling rocks. If no one was down there, it would be fine, but if it hit Da Niu and the others...

Fang Tiesheng sat silently on his kang (a heated brick bed), with a large bag of medicine that Ya Ya had bought earlier beside him.

He was wearing his old clothes, and the kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of rice.

He didn't go to the village chief, even though he should have, but he didn't dare.

Of those who were taken away, only three returned; Gou Dan didn't come back at all.

He didn't know how to start the conversation.

The three men, including Da Niu, sat on several relatively flat boulders, their chests rising and falling slowly; they could no longer walk.

My calves were swollen and shiny, and pressing on them left a dent. My throat was so dry that breathing was painful. There was no food to be found near the mud wall, let alone water.

"Rolling around—"

Small pebbles rolled down from above, followed by a blinding white light that pierced the deep darkness.

Looking at the three figures that resembled tattered sacks covered in yellow mud, Zhao Hu felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

Finally... we found them.

The bright light suddenly fell on their faces, and Da Niu and the other two instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, squinting into slits, their eyes filled with confusion.

What's that shiny thing in Tiger's hand?

They stared up in disbelief as the steady beam of white light approached them step by step. Zhao Hu's figure gradually became clear in the halo of light, his body wrapped in thick layers, like a huge black bear.

Clutching something tightly in his arms, he walked step by step, over the gravel and mud, to their side.